Unspoken Alliances
by smallandmighty
Summary: The grandchild of Evan Rosier and the numerous Weasley offspring arrive at Hogwarts. Spanning their education, there are wars, tantrums, romances and the potential for a new Dark Lord. Who said peace was peaceful?
1. Such Hope In His Voice

The Hogwarts Express had never been decorated according to Houses with one very good reason. While the Prefects had their own carriage, it was a given that the marking of carriages as 'Slytherin' or 'Hufflepuff' would only draw out any enmities that had not been previously resolved. It was for this reason alone that William Rosier was sat on his own amidst a flock of his chattering peers, children clearly marked to become Hufflepuffs. An absent look of boredom rested on his features, to the casual observer it was only too obvious that the boy would have preferred to be anywhere but in that particular carriage. Thus, the sight of the food trolley rolling past only prompted William to move quickly; staggering to his feet with an awkward lurch, the young boy chased the woman nervously. His father would have been disappointed that William had not attempted to simply silence the other students in the carriage, but William could have cared less. Purchasing himself a Pumpkin Pasty, he hurried on to an almost empty carriage. Rather than return to the carriage he had been in, it made more sense to find somewhere quieter to try and read; William had every intention of becoming one of the most accomplished Wizards in his year. Anything less, and Basil Rosier - his father - would be bitterly disappointed with his son, though the boy's current choice of company would hardly illicit feelings of delight from the man.

At the clatter of her carriage door shutting, Molly Weasley II had turned her freckled face to the door with curiosity. Louis Weasley, her cousin, had scoffed at the sight of another boy hovering at the door. Raising a hand with confidence and brushing hair out of his face, he grinned a familiar grin, the very grin that every Weasley male for generations seemed capable of. Continuing the round of faces turning to peer, a previously attached couple turned to peer at Liam before returning to their previous behaviour, much to the disapproving groans of the girl sat beside them.

"Victoire, must you act _so_?" A pretty face turned to glance at Liam, a shy smile alighting on her features before she continued speaking, "I'm Dominique. 'Nique Weasley. That's my big sister, Victoire, and her _boyfriend_ Teddy Lupin." Another pause, in which she grinned awkwardly. It seemed she was eager to continue when a gangly, ropy boy breezed into the room with an armful of Bertie Botts and Chocolate Frogs. Brushing past Liam and unintentionally barging him, Fred Weasley II turned and offered a Chocolate Frog from the pile in his arms as an apology.

"I'm Fred. Fred Weasley. I see you've met the rest of my family? I'm afraid we take up a carriage by ourselves, but you can join us if you like!"

Liam had to admit that he was overwhelmed by the sheer wave of red hair that faced him; though the girl that had introduced herself as Dominique and her elder sister Victoire both possessed long waves of white-blonde hair, the rest of the Weasley family were dressed with the infamous red locks. Tucking a strand of his own dark hair behind an ear self-consciously, Liam shrugged and began to edge towards the door. Raising both hands with an awkward gesture that belied his emotions, the boy grinned and shrugged.

"If this is a family thing, I can just--"

Before he could finish, the youngest girl had pushed her cousins along the bench she was seated on, patting a space beside her. It was the girl that had first turned to see him, the one most heavily freckled; Liam had no idea what her name was to thank her, but gratefully took the seat and glanced around the room. Expecting someone to introduce the two students he had yet to be introduced to, Liam chewed his lip awkwardly. Realising he was to be met with silence, however, he proceeded to introduce himself to the gathered flock of redheads.

"I'm William, by the way. William Rosier," William paused, grinning sheepishly, "Liam."

The tense silence was enough to tell Liam that he had picked the wrong compartment, if the shuffling and bustle of the six children as they lowered their heads didn't. Glancing around the room, Liam's cheeks filled with red at the realisation of which houses the other members of the carriage belonged to. Three Gryffindors, Victoire and Teddy, and their cousin Fred; one Ravenclaw, the other blonde girl, Dominique. From the actions of the other two, his own age, they were destined to go the same way as their family. What seemed like hours passed, and the few moments of sheepish silence was broken by Molly Weasley, a fearless young woman who took after her aunt Ginevra and Grandmother in all too many ways. As her cousins all turned to peer at her, Molly grinned at Liam, sticking out her hand with confidence.

"Molly Weasley. What House you hoping to get into?"

The fearlessness of her gesture relaxed Liam enough for him to shake her hand, noting the smallness of them and the way her nails had been chewed to death; fighting the urge to comment on this little quirk, he beamed back at her. To confess now that he hoped to become a Slytherin seemed nothing if not suicidal, but for Liam there was no other House. If push came to shove, Liam supposed he could bear to be in Ravenclaw, but the thought of Gryffindor or, worse yet, Hufflepuff made him feel slightly nauseous. Saying such a thing in a room filled with Gryffindors, however, was something that made Liam uneasy; it would be unwise to make enemies so quickly, yet Molly Weasley's naturally easy nature allowed Liam a small hint of confidence. For a pair of eleven year olds, both Liam and Molly were all too aware of the politics dictated by their Houses. After all, Molly and the others in the room had lost an Uncle to Voldemort, to _Slytherin_, and Teddy had lost his parents. Still, Liam knew there was little point in lying.

"I want to be in Slytherin."

It was out. There was no way he could retract the statement, and there was little he could do to make it better. Expecting aggression, Liam seemed to recoil into himself before anyone could make a sound. Fortunately, Teddy was the first to react, laughing shamelessly. Leaning over his girlfriend to pat Liam on the head, an unpleasant gesture but one Teddy had meant affectionately, the older boy continued to chuckle to himself. Fred soon understand what was meant by this, and nodded conspiratorially to Liam.

"Ignore him, he's just thinking of beating you to death in Quidditch next year."

For the rest of the train journey, the view of the Weasleys was made clear. None of them particularly minded Slytherin, though they knew that in a couple of years Scorpius Malfoy would be joining their ranks, at the same time as "cousin Rosie", someone that evidently mattered to the students collected. A pause settled after Liam confessed his own knowledge of the Malfoys, but there were few hitches in the journey. Molly and Liam spent a great part of the journey whispering excitedly, trading spells and laughing about Quidditch. Occasionally Louis joined in, after introducing himself to Liam, but the youngest redhead was quiet and shy, something that limited him as far as conversation went. Fred had marked how comfortable Molly was with Liam, saying nothing and only quirking an eyebrow as the two of them giggled about lessons. Molly expressed her wishes that Liam would change his mind and become a Gryffindor, and Liam returned them in reverse; the two squabbled over whether Gryffindor or Slytherin would win the House Cup, confessing their desire to play Seeker when older. Without any of the students noticing, the Hogwarts Express had rolled into Hogsmeade Station.

Letting Louis and Liam disembark together, Fred hovered by the luggage rack, helping Molly get her small bag from atop it. After a giddy thanks, Molly attempted to rush ahead and catch up to Liam and Louis, but was caught and stopped by Fred. Being a good head taller than her, Fred forced himself to stoop and whisper to her; his usually jovial features had hardened into a concerned frown, something Molly was unfamiliar with. As she struggled a little, attempting to get her cousin off her, Fred shook his head and gestured briefly in the direction of Louis, who was nervously joking with Liam.

"Look, Moll, I know you're a big girl and you can look after yourself, but I want you to watch yourself around him, alright? I'm not going to have any Slytherin idiot hurt my cousin, ok? So just tell me if he does anything stupid."

Affronted by her cousin's implications, Molly simply nodded and rushed off to catch up. Sighing and following, Fred met the gaze of Teddy as the two of them fell in side by side. Watching their young cousins meander towards the boats, led by Hagrid, the group of five waved frantically as Louis boarded their boat.

Awed by their transport to the castle, Louis was even more silent than usual as they drifted towards the imposing building. Reassured somewhat by Molly's tight grip on his arm, the pair of them quietly whispered about their future Common Room; unaware to the fact that they were ignoring Liam somewhat, Louis pointed at one of the towers with delight, crying that he was certain it housed the Gryffindor Common Room before tugging on Liam's sleeve to illicit a similar response. Instead, however, Liam simply nodded and returned his gaze to the lower regions of Hogwarts, attempting to spot a green window and identify the Slytherin Common Room. Molly, disengaging herself from Louis as she realised how quiet Liam had become, leaned over Liam's shoulder and attempted to follow his gaze.

"What are you looking for?"

"The Slytherin Common Room. I'm not sure where it is."

There was a snort from Louis, who had rolled his eyes and was now looking at Liam with a delicate disgust. Usually not judgemental, Molly was surprised by Louis' reaction, elbowing him in the side in an attempt to shut him up, though Louis said nothing. Liam seemed not to have noticed, and as the group abandoned their boats by the shore, Molly shot a glare at her cousin; a warning to be nice never went amiss. Flocking together, the first years seemed to get nowhere as they edged towards the school. Led through the halls and corridors towards the Great Hall, Molly couldn't help but gape in delight, fascinated by the fine building. Imagining her aunts and uncles here, with her father, Molly giggled shyly. Louis' face revealed similar emotions, and the two of them almost clattered into the backs of the students in front of them, having not realised that they should have stopped walking long ago. A familiar face approached the group of First Years, smiling with warmth at the nervous flock.

"Hello students, I am Professor Longbottom. If you'd like to follow me, you can be Sorted; the Sorting Hat is waiting for you."

A silent riot erupted from the gaggle as they whispered to one another with uncontrollable delight. The Sorting Hat! Surging towards the door, an obedient stampede broke into the Great Hall, rushing towards the front of the Hall with pleasure. Sat on an old stool was the Hat, battered and ancient; Molly clasped at an arm that she thought was Louis'; leaning close to whisper to him.

"Reckon if you ask, you'd get put into whatever House you liked?"

Liam's face turned back to meet hers, and they were close enough to make Molly blush; she had spent only a few hours with the boy, such closeness was completely inappropriate. Apologising as she dropped his arm, Molly turned back to Louis, though not before she heard Liam's response.

"I expect so. Why? Do you want to be a Slytherin?"

There was such hope in his voice that Molly was overcome with guilt, but there was not time to ponder it. Fairly quickly, names were called and students were Sorted. Vulgar cries echoed from Fred and Teddy, who made it their business to celebrate Gryffindor and condemn the other Houses; as the numbers dwindled, it became clear to Molly and Louis that they were to be one of the few students lingering when the others were chatting to new housemates. Realising this first, Louis lowered his face slightly, for he was ever so slightly taller than Molly, and hissed something into her ear that was drowned out by the call of "Rosier, Liam!" Nervously, Molly pushed herself closer to the front, watching Liam stumble blindly towards the Hat. As it was placed onto his head, the Hat paused for a second, seeming to chew on its brim in thought. Moments later, it had opened said brim widely, bellowing the House that Molly had secretly hoped she would not hear. Flushing a pale pink as Liam's gaze met hers, Molly grinned awkwardly at him; they could still talk, couldn't they? Slytherin was not _so _dreadful, after all. The last few students were Sorted, leaving only Molly, Louis and a young boy that clearly had a most unfortunate surname. A great roar of delight flew from Fred's lips as Louis bounced up the steps to the Hat; it hardly skimmed his ginger hair before bellowing the favoured cry of, "Gryffindor!"

Molly was next. Tripping up the steps and landing conveniently on the stool, the Hat was placed ceremoniously on her head; a chuckle whispered into the cavity she liked to presume was filled by her brain.

"You don't really think you'd fit in in Slytherin, do you?"

Scrunching her eyes up, Molly nodded, an imperceptible response that the Sorting Hat seemed to consider with amusement before mentally shaking its head.

"That won't do at all. No, you're-- Well, there's only one thing for it. Gryffindor!"

If Louis had been given a delighted response, the cheer that went up for Molly was tumultuous. Fred and Teddy were pumping the air and jeering in a way that reminded one of the Weasley twins; they were fearless and proud of their young cousin. Taking her seat beside them, Molly was soon swamped by their affectionate hugs. This was how your future was shaped, was it not? Molly could only hope that her future was as bright as this response, though she doubted it would be free and easy. Glancing over to the Slytherin table, her wide brown eyes alighted on Liam Rosier, and a shy smile curved across her lips. No. The next few years were not to be easy, something Molly was certain over. Bowing her head to him with a sheepish nod, the girl felt somebody jog her elbow, jerking her from her reverie.

Indeed, Molly was jerked from her reverie into a jolt of surprise; once again she had drifted off! The Hogwarts Express and its steady rumble was causing her to sleep away her journey, something Liam was not amused by. Quirking an eyebrow at him wryly, she grinned.

"Remember in First Year? How we met?"


	2. Cursing The Name

Startled into awareness by Molly's question, Liam turned and grinned at the girl sat opposite him. There had not been an opportunity to sit and talk so peacefully in months; over the summer Molly had been occupied with her family duties, and Liam was inclined to evade contact with "blood traitors" such as Molly and her family. Though Liam himself was particularly fond of the girl sat opposite him, he was well aware that his family would not react too kindly to her. Not every Death Eater had renounced their ways, and Liam knew only too well of the sort of treatment Molly would suffer at his family's hands. As he realised exactly what he had been asked, Liam chuckled lightly and nodded to her; how could he forget the enthusiasm he had been met with? Admittedly, Molly was the only one who had been remotely pleasant to him after the initial conversation had died down, but even as Third Years - the year they were entering now - Molly had stuck by him. Regardless of what her family said, no matter what her House said, Molly refused to abandon Liam; she had defended him to her peers countless times and was not planning to change her ways any time soon. As he began to recount the tale, Molly held up one hand and shook her head.

"I'm not asking you to tell me it, I was just wondering. I mean, think about it. Cousin James spent all of last year tormenting you, even though you're older than him, and Louis hasn't been all too pleasant recently... I just wondered if you thought this'd be how we ended up."

Lacking eloquence, Molly shrugged. She tended to leave elegant speech to Dominique who, with her light voice, spoke beautifully and articulately on whatever subject you suggested to her. Molly took great pleasure in devising various obscure topics to have Dominique preach on; the two girls were opposite in both voice and appearance. Molly had resented Dominique from the moment she had been so cool with Liam; the two had gotten on surprisingly well on the train, but the moment they reached Hogwarts Dominique had snubbed Liam like dirt. While Molly accepted that Dominique had no reason to be friendly with the boy, she would have appreciated her cousin's courtesy towards a friend. Apparently that was too much to ask, however. Shaking her head free of the thoughts of Dominique, Molly glanced at Liam with her dark eyes. He was clearly pondering the topic, running through phrases in his head until he settled on something passable. Raising one red eyebrow with amusement, Molly cupped her chin in her fingertips and grinned impishly at him, just as Liam opened his mouth to speak.

"If you had thought we would end up any other way, Molly Weasley, I doubt you would have bothered to stick around. I know exactly what you're like, and it isn't exactly a good thing. Admit that if it weren't for the fact I irritate your family, you wouldn't have stuck with me."

Returning her impish grin with his own, Liam lifted both of his eyebrows in a playful challenge. Shrieking with disapproving amusement, Molly stretched out one arm to slap at Liam before shaking her head. Presuming her response would be clarification that she had no intention of going anywhere, she returned to gazing out the window pensively. Liam had little intention of disturbing her, instead delving into the backpack sat beside him and producing a tattered copy of "Quidditch Through the Ages"; Molly had given him it as a Christmas present in their First Year, and he had kept it handy since. One never knew when one might need a little light reading, after all. A comfortable silence soon overtook the carriage for with only the two of them in it, there was little need to chatter. Irritatingly for Molly, who was beginning to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere, her youngest cousins had barged into the carriage without a thought of privacy. Albus, the eldest of the three, grinned at his cousin with pride.

"I knew we'd find you somewhere. Rose said she wanted to sit with you on the train journey, because the others would be being boring somewhere else. It is ok, isn't it?"

One look into Albus' worried green eyes, and Molly knew she couldn't say no. Glancing over to Liam, whose face had darkened a little, Molly caught his eye and attempted to relay an apology through her own eyes. Turning her freckled face back to Albus, Molly gave a stiff nod to her cousins, who cheerfully clattered into the room and perched on the benches with false confidence. Rose and Roxanne soon had their heads bobbing close together, whispering to one another and occasionally glancing at Liam with curiosity, before giggling shrilly. Rolling her eyes at the pair of them, Molly edged closer to them and listened into their conversation; it soon became evident that the two girls were discussing how 'cute' Liam was, something that rankled with Molly, who tutted coldly. Fortunately, Albus and Liam were engrossed in a conversation about Quidditch, and were oblivious to the delicate and intricate glowering match going on between the three girls. Things seemed to be becoming more placated, though, as Molly cracked a joke with Roxanne about cute boys; the two had been swimming regularly in the holidays, and Roxanne had been flirting like a lovesick puppy with a boy there. Rose, displeased to be left out, began describing in detail the sort of boy she would like to meet at Hogwarts, and Molly was more than happy to leave them to it. Relieved that peace had once again been restored to her carriage, Molly couldn't help but feel a mild sense of foreboding that someone else was due to come and spoil her fun.

Clearly, Molly realised, she should take up Divination as a profession. No sooner than the others had settled down to their various conversations than James Sirius Potter had barged into the room. His dark hair was a mess, clearly styled that way intentionally, and he had a look of mild displeasure on his face. Meeting Liam's gaze with a steady arrogance, James lowered his eyebrows slightly and took a step into the carriage. Knowing something was about to go very wrong, Molly shoved her hand into the pocket of her robes, tiny fingers gripping around her wand with determination.

"Molly, do you really think you should be exposing my little brother to such _riff-raff _on his first day? I thought you had better taste than that, really."

His voice was elegant, condescending; it was clear to all those in the carriage that James Potter liked to hear himself speak. Aware that Liam had tensed somewhat, Molly rose with her own sense of grandeur and looked upon James with elegant world-weariness. Sizing one another up, Molly levelly met his dark gaze with her own; the two both held their grandmother's eyes, though Molly's had all of the warmth that James' seemed to lack. Without words, the two of them seemed to be battling something out, a familiar position for any member of the Weasley family. There was not a cousin, uncle or aunt that had not become accustomed to Molly and James bickering over some trivial inconsequence.

"James, come off it. Albus has you for a brother, there's no such thing as _riff-raff _anymore."

Just like that, Molly had defused the situation. James was laughing bitterly, a sense of irritation lingering behind his chuckle, and Albus was giggling quietly to Liam, oblivious to what had just happened. Rose and Roxanne, content to return to their conversation, pretended none of the conflict had arisen, instead whispering to each other about how 'brave' their cousin James was. Liam's eyes were on Molly, however, and it was clear that he was going to want a word with her; meeting his gaze with steadiness, Molly grinned awkwardly at him, conveying a sense of familiarity. Though James was the year below them both, James had made it clear from the second that Sorting Hat touched his head that Liam Rosier was not suitable company for his cousin Molly. No matter what Molly tried, he was not to be dissuaded; even appealing to her Aunt Ginevra did little to solve the problem; James was determined and that was that. Liam coped well with the torment, putting up with James with a calm dignity that Molly had not expected. Though Liam was a competent duellist, for he duelled regularly when the teachers were not around, James had never been on the receiving end of a single hex from Liam. This fact alone caused Molly to respect Liam even more, allowing her fondness to change from James, and her family, onto Liam, and what he stood for.

Much of the train journey was passed in an awkward silence, a journey that greatly differed from the memories recalled by Molly; things were not comfortable and exciting, Molly was not sat, head bent to Liam's, whispering with delight; things were uncomfortable, and the slightest noise had one of the boys tensing, hand around their wand. It was a pathetic show of machoism, a desperate attempt to prove that they were the better of the two. Albus had, very sensibly, kept out of things and left his elder brother to do what he did best: cause problems. There was little hope of placating James once he had started, something Albus knew only too well; Albus had not witnessed the abuse suffered by Liam the previous year, the constant hurling of hexes that earned James a detention a fortnight. Most of the time things were too subtle for there to be a convenient teacher, but Molly had acquired a knack for defending Liam as a teacher arrived, proving that her cousin should not be trusted with a wand. Still, this was the final year before OWLs for Liam and Molly, and she refused to allow her idiotic bigot of a cousin to ruin things for her; James would be made to pay if she had to wrap her hands around his neck and throttle sense into him.

Soon, however, it felt like the train journey had returned the older students to their First Year, for they, too, were caught up in the glee of Albus, Rose and Roxanne. Suddenly pointing out the exciting facets of Hogwarts; displaying the Gryffindor Common Room's tower; gesturing to where the Slytherin Dungeons were located; faltering awkwardly when realising not one of them knew where the Ravenclaws were housed before recalling Dominique's home; Molly and James had soon forgotten their tiff as they recounted tales of breaking into the Kitchens - eagerly pointed out to be near to the Hufflepuff Common Room - and being given piles of biscuits and cakes to return to the Common Room with. There wasn't a student in Gryffindor that hadn't tried to take food from the Kitchens at least once, though many other Houses bragged their own abilities at it. Liam had quietened perceptibly at this delighted outcry, however, for he had little in common with the Weasley family and their various trips around Hogwarts. Albus, who had taken to Liam rather quickly, turned to peer at the older boy with curiosity, chewing his lip and working up the courage to ask him a question.

"What about you, Liam? Have you ever done something so exciting?"

Molly looked at her cousin with wry amusement, leaning over and ruffling Albus' hair in a gesture that reminded Liam of Teddy Lupin. Raising himself up with a sense of mock importance, however, Liam looked down on Albus with a teasingly austere expression.

"I, Albus, am a Slytherin. We don't _have _fun."

"Liam Rosier, do not lie to my cousin. You and I have done some of the stupidest things this school has ever seen. Including, but not limited to, having a race over Black Lake towing bits of food to tempt the Giant Squid."

Albus' eyes grew into dinner plates as Molly recounted the tale, laughing at the recollection of nearly being dragged into the Lake upon the discovery that the Giant Squid was very fond of marmalade sandwiches. Liam sighed, taking over as Molly dissolved into a fit of giggles, looking remarkably similar to as if she had been hit by a Rictumsempra. Explaining to Albus that it had been Molly's idea entirely; neither of them had been accepted for their Quidditch teams, but both had brooms. She had seen this as a marvellous excuse to try flying something "more exciting" than Quidditch, and what better than feeding the Giant Squid? Liam confessed to cheating somewhat, having tied a bunch of foods no self-respecting Squid would eat to the tail of his broom; Molly had attached various foods that anyone with sense would enjoy and swept ahead. By the time Liam had caught up to her, he had found her in a desperate attempt to fly upwards; the Squid had wrapped a tentacle around her broom tail and was attempting to pull her into the Lake for more sandwiches. Only a well-timed curse from Liam forced the Squid to withdraw its tentacle and let Molly go; Liam took great pleasure in telling Albus that his cousin shot into the air like a firework. The entire tale was recounted in a few minutes, but the entire carriage were giggling by the end of it, such was Liam's skill in telling stories. Molly, meanwhile, had been sinking lower in her seat, cheeks flaming a similar hue to her hair; though she was laughing with the others, she couldn't help but feel a tinge embarrassed that her stupidity was to calm the tensions in her family.

As they piled out onto the platform, however, Molly was soon swept into a crowd of redheaded relatives and dragged away from Liam. With a desperate wave and a promised shout of owling him later, Molly was bundled into a carriage with Fred, Dominique and Victoire, the favourites of her cousins. Admittedly, she wished Teddy was in the carriage with them, for he had a good head for jokes and could have prevented Victoire being so whiny, but things were never quite perfect in the Weasley household. Slowly the carriage began to rumble away, leaving Fred as the entertainment; devising a pair of sock puppets from a pair of socks he had discovered in the pocket of his robes, Fred kept Dominique and Molly laughing for the entire trip to school as he recounted the adventures of Uncles Harry and Ron during their years at Hogwarts. Oddly, the topic matter had little to do with their famous tales, instead focusing on Ron's fear of spiders and Harry's sheer fame. As Molly dug around in her pocket for something to transfigure into a spider, the carriage rolled to a halt outside the school, and the four of them rushed towards the Great Hall with an eager anticipation. They would see three of their cousins Sorted, leaving only Lily, Hugo and Lucy to be Sorted in the coming years. As the flock of red hair migrated to their House tables, Fred and Molly squashed up closely on the Gryffindor table, cheering without reason. In Teddy's absence, Molly had taken to helping Fred catcall for the various First Years; a decent surname would gain a cheer of delight, and a Sorting of Slytherin usually gained some sort of vocal disapproval. This year, however, they paid little attention until towards the end of the Sorting, waiting for Albus to be called out; they didn't have to wait long, and as their cousin tottered towards the steps, looking every part his father's son, the duo let out a shout of pride. There was an echo in the Hall, however, as the Sorting Hat opened its brim and cried the House.

"Slytherin!"

James tensed visibly, his face like thunder and eyes narrowed towards Liam. There was a hiss of air from between his teeth, and Molly knew exactly what had crossed his mind. It was, of course, entirely Liam's fault that Albus had been Sorted into Slytherin; as far as James was concerned his younger brother had been corrupted by that venomous snake from the moment he had sat beside him. Things were getting personal, as far as James could see. Nothing was going to get in the way of a bit of harmless revenge, after all; his brother had no proficiency in magic, and the others didn't stand a chance. What good were they against him? Regardless of the fact that each of his cousins were older than him and more proficient, James was certain he could defeat them in a duel. He would get equal with that snake for stealing his brother, that much was sure. Then... Then he would torture him for ever speaking to _his _Molly. She was changed too, and James could not call it well. More agonising for James was the sight of his younger brother sliding in between two people that James could not help but find morally repugnant. To one side of Albus was that white haired _git, _Scorpius Malfoy, and the other housed Liam Rosier. Furious that his brother was to be corrupted by such idiots as the Slytherins, James balled his fists and glowered towards the table before feeling a hand laid on his arm.

"James, don't torture your brother. We'll look after him, honest," Louis' serious face turned to James, looking for a moment like his father. "Anything that those idiot Slytherins do to him will be solved by us. I haven't a problem with fighting them, you know that." There was a pause, in which Louis chewed his lip, narrowing his eyes towards Liam. "Rosier is going to regret coming near our family."

A dark chuckle crept from James' lips as he regarded his cousin with wry amusement. There was no doubt that the two of them could cause some serious damage between them, not that it would not be deserved. Just as he turned and bowed his head to Louis with the intentions of plotting some unfortunate demise for Liam, the younger years rose to be led to their new dormitories, causing James to stumble to his feet in a show of polite obedience. Following the others quietly, he turned to Louis with a grin that spelled only trouble. For a Potter, James certainly had none of his father's traits; instead he had inherited the blind arrogance of James Potter I, and Sirius Black's determination to victimise those who he deemed unworthy, making James Sirius Potter into a most unsavoury character. Still, he had managed to master the charisma of his forebears, gathering around himself a small collection of equally unsavoury Gryffindors that raged around the halls, scaring First Years of every other House. Admittedly, James himself had only been a Second Year for a few minutes, so his power was none too impressive, but he seemed to wear the title well. A bully of the worst sort, James picked fights with those bigger than him, knowing that the sheer force of his allies would help him in defeating those he did not agree with. Ally this force with the vicious perseverance of James Potter, and it became clear that Albus and Scorpius were in trouble. Led by the Prefects to their Common Room, James fought the urge to swear at the retreating back of his brother.

It was evident from the warm atmosphere of the Common Room that the Slytherin stereotype was horribly mistaken. As most of the older students had gone on ahead of the First Years, there was a friendly greeting awaiting them; though there was no food, a silver and green banner hung above the fireplace, and the students turned and grinned at the nervous gathering by the door. The Prefect turned and addressed the older students briefly, laughing comfortably.

"Ok, you got in fine today, but just remember guys; the password is 'Hand of Glory'. Don't share it around with the other Houses, ok?"

Ripples of laughter spread around the Common Room as everyone nodded their good nights and headed to their separate dormitories. Liam could hear the Prefect's voice trailing after him, telling the First Years which way to go for their own dorms. Smiling to himself wryly, he wandered into his own dormitory and jumped onto his bed, tugging the curtains shut around him. Albus and Scorpius, however, were still in shock at the size of Hogwarts. Awed by the looming confidence of the other students, the two of them stuck close by each other as they shuffled towards their dormitory. Realising that they would be sleeping beside one another, Scorpius grinned confidently at his new friend and gestured to the two beds.

"Which do you think is more comfortable? I'd like that one; I have a most sensitive back."

Albus simply shrugged, diving onto the bed closest to him and sprawling out with a grin. This was definitely a good start to the year, even with Scorpius quietly mumbling that he thought his bed was more comfortable, but he wasn't entirely certain. Laughing serenely, he mumbled his good nights and fell asleep almost instantly.

The scene in the Gryffindor Common Room was not so placid, however. Having watched James in silence for the entire meal, Molly was tense and ready to spring down her cousin's throat. Things were going too far, and Molly was sick of her cousin being such a brat. Albus had been conveniently oblivious to the glares of his older brother, as had Scorpius and Liam, but Molly had seethed her way through the Feast and now had something to say. James, arrogant as ever, swaggered into the Common Room with his gaggle of little friends and glanced in Molly's direction with an inelegant disinterest. As his followers peeled away to their dormitory, Louis and James lingered by the stairs. Molly, without turning away from the fire, spoke up and commanded the two boys in a voice that was not to be challenged.

"Louis, go to your dormitory. James, get yourself over here _right now._"

A sarcastic chuckle echoed by the base of the staircase; Louis had sauntered up to his dormitory without a parting shot much to Molly's relief, but James seemed to enjoy making a big deal of nothing. Sighing audibly and swaggering towards where Molly was sat, he planted himself in the seat opposite her and opened his body language to her. Feet apart, knees above his feet and legs spread wide, elbows resting on his knees and a smirk on his lips; Molly was folded into herself with a steady confidence. With her knees folded up to her chin and her arms wrapped around them, she looked like a small child; her ginger hair fell in messy waves around her shoulders and her freckled features were written into a petulant version of her Grandmother's infamous scowl. Any sarcastic comments James had intended to make died fairly quickly on his lips; Molly Weasley II was not a force to be reckoned with; she took after her Aunt - his mother - and her Grandmother in too many ways for any hope of salvation. The softness and warmth that was so often seen in her brown eyes had faded, turned into some steeliness that James knew meant trouble. Still, there had yet to be a problem he could weasel his way out of, so that arrogant smirk curled across his lips without fear. As he leaned his chin onto the tips of his fingers, James Sirius Potter met his cousin's glower with a confident wink.

"Well, Miss Weasley," he began, no sense of fear in his voice, "what could I have possibly done to offend you this time?"

"Your _brother_ had to endure an hour and a half of you glowering at him in the Feast this evening, James Potter," she spat at him, her voice relaying the vehemence that her relaxed posture did not, "and will no doubt have to endure your disgust for the rest of his education, if you don't stop acting like such a prat."

"Molly, come off it. You know I was glowering at that worm, Rosie."

"How dare you? He has been nothing but polite to you, and you sit there like some King! If Uncle Harry and Auntie Ginny knew you were such a twerp at school, you would get so many Howlers you'd never hear anything but shrieks. Merlin, James, must you be so insufferable? Liam is perfectly pleasant, and--"

"Pleasant?! Molly, I have to endure that _bastard _corrupting my little brother, and worse than that he's got you wrapped around his little finger. You know what Uncle Percy said about Slytherins--"

"Was entirely wrong. Uncle Harry and Mr. Malfoy have been on good terms since before we were born, James, and your petty rivalry can't change that. If you aren't going to grow up and be nice to your brother's House, then at least act civilly to them around him. And for Merlin's sake, don't be cruel to Al for being a Slytherin. You know as well as I do that Auntie Ginny taught me the Bat-Bogey Hex the second I got my wand, and so help me-- If I hear you've tortured Albus, Scorpius, Liam or any other Slytherin, my wand will be on your back faster than you can Stupefy me. Are we clear?"

With that little speech over, Molly sprung from her seat and stormed towards the girl's dormitory, red hair swaying with every step. There had never been a moment in which she looked so like her Grandmother before now, and James Potter should have been very afraid. Still, he managed to maintain the arrogant belief that he was entirely right in his disgust of Slytherins, certain that he would not torture Al but simply show him why he should ask to be re-Sorted. Molly Weasley II had nothing on her Grandmother, and James possessed none of his father's common sense and good judgement. Acting like a brat was not so much a habit as a constant state with the boy, something that infuriated Molly to no end. As the door to her dormitory swung closed, Molly flung herself onto the only empty bed, tucking herself into the duvet like a cocoon, quietly cursing the name James Sirius Potter. That boy had been nothing but trouble since the day he was born, and Molly was not looking forward to breakfast the next morning. Any hell that broke out would be hers to stop, it would be her duty to settle any disputes. While Fred, kind-hearted and comfortable, would attempt to defend Molly, there was little hope of the two of them proving her entire family wrong. Fred and Molly were hardly an imposing pair; two small, skinny redheads with freckles for faces did not strike an chord in the hearts of men. James, however, was tall for his age and strong, the sort of boy people would follow without question, and Molly knew that this would be her downfall. Turning over and drifting into sleep, Molly made herself a promise to speak to Liam first thing. Something had to be done.


	3. Action Of That Ilk

It took Molly a few days to get her hands on Liam for long enough to speak to him, and that Wednesday was one in which Molly had contemplated murder a fair few times. Those three days of waiting quietly were filled with most insufferable taunts from her cousin James, further aggravating the situation due to his new found friendship with cousin Louis; if the two of them had enjoyed antagonising Molly before, they now found some macabre pleasure in doing exactly that. It was a pity, Molly realised, that she could not fairly hex her cousins into oblivion and solve the entire problem; to rid herself of the two imbeciles she was forced to share blood with would have caused the issue of Albus' to fade into the background, that Molly might enjoy helping her cousin settle in rather than be forced to ostracise him. It was a good thing, Molly noted, that Albus and Scorpius had become such close friends; had it not been for Scorpius, Molly feared Albus would have been left alone with the burden of his brother. Fuming inwardly at the memories of the past few days, it was a miracle that steam did not come from Molly's ears as she charged through the corridors. Lunch had finally arrived, and Molly had owled Liam that morning with a message. Nothing extravagant, just a simple request for him to meet her outside Moaning Myrtle's bathroom; it had been scrawled by Fred, and the writing was obscure enough that nobody peering would have understood. Unfortunately for Molly, however, her one attempt at privacy with Liam was to be banished by the presence of Henrietta Finnigan.

Not a bad person, Henrietta Finnigan was so alike to Molly Weasley in mind that Molly could not help but keep her around. Opinionated and bubbly though she was, Henri had rarely found a topic in which herself and Molly could disagree; due to this, she had stuck to Molly like glue. It did help, admittedly, that she had a fondness for Louis Weasley; though it was entirely his fault and had little to do with Henri, it was a flaw in her personality that Molly regularly brought up. In truth, Molly was more than a little bias towards Henri due to this one slip-up, and it was something she was unwilling to drop. Having watched her cousin, purely out of spite, flirt and flatter Henrietta until she was smitten, Molly could not help but feel a twinge of vehemence whenever he was brought into the conversation. Despite her best attempts at persuading Henri otherwise, however, Molly had failed to convince her friend that it was a bad idea to fall for him. At present, she was being exceedingly counter-productive. Lurking outside the first floor bathroom was made difficult by the cheerful stream of chatter coming from Henrietta's neat, pink mouth. Close to breaking point, Molly directed Henri down the corridor to where two red heads were bowed together. Having already recognised one of them as Louis' head, Molly reasoned that she had a fair shot of getting rid of Henrietta just in time.

"Henri, do me a favour? Go distract Louis, he's down there and I don't want him coming over."

"What? You want me to-- Molly, I didn't think you liked me talking to him."

Rolling her eyes out of sheer exasperation, Molly's voice snapped out at Henrietta like a whip. Tensing ever so slightly, she spoke to her friend with more force than she had intended, hoping that Henrietta would take the hint and leave.

"Right now, I like you talking to him so much that I will cause you pain if you do not go. Go!"

With Henrietta gone, Molly turned back to what she was doing; pushing the heavy wooden door open slowly, the small redhead edged into an apparently deserted bathroom. Met by a familiar wail, though, Molly knew something had worked out in her grand plan. Moaning Myrtle was evidently displeased, the great sigh that rang out as Molly was spotted told her everything; disgruntled and slightly dishevelled, Liam stumbled from a cubicle, followed by a moon-eyed Moaning Myrtle. Wand hanging by his side, Liam had evidently been trying to rid himself of Moaning Myrtle for a while, and his expression said it all. As he brandished his wand at the obnoxious ghost once more, Liam bit back the urge to swear loudly; he could see Molly's little grin, hidden behind one hand, and was tempted to wipe it off her face with a badly aimed hex. Knowing better, fortunately, he chose instead to swear loudly at Moaning Myrtle, who simply huffed. Giggling to herself, Molly whipped her own wand from her robes and pointed it at Myrtle.

"This, Liam, is how you remove a ghost."

One flick of the wrist later, Moaning Myrtle had been battered by a Hot-Air Charm and was retreating into the U-bend of her toilet with a sulk. With a mock bow in Liam's direction, Molly skipped over to the sinks and perched herself on top of one of them. A glance towards Liam told her enough of what she had not heard already; James really had upped the antics within a few days of beginning school. Sympathy coursed through her, but she knew that any action of that ilk would only gain her Liam's disapproval; waiting for him to speak, instead, she reached out one hand to him fondly. Mature as ever, Liam simply rolled his eyes at her offer, instead perching on the sink beside her and grinning back. There was a mutual awareness that something had gone wrong; James had done something, crossed some line, and Liam was not willing to mention it just yet. Instead, he idly twirled his wand between his fingers, glancing briefly at Molly from the corner of one eye with amusement.

"Can I help you, Moll?"

That pet name got her. Had he said anything else, Molly might have exploded with fascination as to what he had been doing; why they had not seen each other before; where it was that Liam kept going when he left lessons; what it was that had kept him from owling her for the past three days. Yes, three days was a dreadfully long time as far as Molly Weasley was concerned, and Liam had done something terrible by not contacting her sooner. The very fact that she had been forced to owl him, using a school owl no less, told her far too little and yet far too much. Physically restraining herself, Molly bit down hard on her lip in an attempt to contain the verbal diarrhoea that was threatening to explode from her lips. It was impossible, however. Hopping from the sink with a dainty little bounce, Molly twirled on the ball of one foot and faced Liam, hands on hips in a startlingly good impression of her grandmother.

"Liam Rosier, whatever it is that you have yet to tell me, tell me right this second before I shove my wand up your-- No, wait. You're on my side, aren't you? Or I'm on yours, at least. Merlin knows I could just throw in the towel and side with James, but I shan't. What has he been doing to you? I haven't heard from you in days! You had me worried sick, and I do not appreciate it. In fact, I ought just leave you here, but Moaning Myrtle would act all slimy and sympathetic; that's too much for me to bear. So c'mon, where have you been? Why haven't you told me anything? Do I need to kill James?"

There was a pause. Blatantly overwhelmed by the wall of speech that had erupted from Molly's mouth, he raised his eyebrows with mild shock, fumbling for words as the girl's eyes bored into his forehead. Stuttering a few times, Liam finally managed to garble a few sentences.

"Yes, Molly, I'm on your side. He's done nothing that he hasn't done a million times before, though he's getting better at it. You worried?" There was a pause, in which Liam raised his eyebrows yet futher; the world-weary voice he had acquired altered into a genuinely tired one, and Molly was taken aback by the exhaustion evident in his tone. He continued, tired though he seemed, "There isn't anything to tell, Moll. You needn't kill your cousin. Honestly."

Almost imperceptibly, Molly sighed at the prospect of leaving her cousin to face another day. As she watched Liam, her hands still on her hips and eyes still fixed on his, Molly fought the urge to sigh audibly with sheer relief, instead choosing to pace back and forth for a few moments, as if considering what to do. Snapping her fingers, she turned one cheek towards Liam, freckles seeming to darken in hue as she giggled wickedly. A plot had come into her head, and Molly Weasley had every intention of going through with it, regardless of what her family might say. Opening her lips, about to speak, the girl was cut off by a breathless Henrietta, who barged through the door with a nervous little squeal. Face falling into a despairing glower, Molly arched her brows in a supercilious little frown at her friend. The girl stood panting and whimpering quite pathetically at Molly's face, looking nervous, as if aware that she would be beaten the second Liam was out of sight for interrupting.

"Molly, I don't mean to interrupt, but... I know it's lunch and all, so it shouldn't matter, but... The uhm... Louis got a Prefect. There's a Prefect coming. So you should probably run," she paused, blinking a few times at the sight of Liam. "You should probably run fastest, Liam. You oughtn't be in here, it's a girl's bathroom."

Both Liam and Molly winced slightly, as if fighting the urge to slap Henri for ever opening her mouth; briefly glancing at one another and failing to say goodbye, however, both students turned to the door and sprinted from the room, leaving a bemused Henrietta stood in the doorway, calling pitifully after them. Not only had her distraction failed, but once again Molly had abandoned her in favour of Liam. Things were quite clearly not going Henrietta's way today.

The most beautiful plus side to being a First Year, however, was the innate ability to never realise when politics were coming into play. While the older members of the Weasley clan plotted and planned, Albus and Scorpius spent time simply mastering the complex wandwork of Wingardium Leviosa; badly attempted to brew elixirs; failed miserably at turning pencils into pins. Still, the two of them had gained a companionship amidst all this disaster; even as the pair of them failed miserably at their current attempts at magic, they learned more about one another. Apparently tolerance was a skill that James Potter had missed out on, one that Albus had learned doubly so. Indeed, as James began his plots to destroy Albus and Scorpius, the two First Years began to understand why it was that their fathers were so comfortable around one another. An endearing trait of Scorpius' had allowed Albus to overlook the rather large personality faults with the boy, and the two had soon stuck to one another like glue. Though the young Blaise Zabini II did not approve of the friendship, there was little to be done to prevent it; he could no more stop it than James could stand up to Molly. Indeed, the two of them were nothing if not best friends; they were the Ron and Harry of their time, pairing for every opportunity possible. So joined at the hip were they, Scorpius and Albus were more than happy working together in Charms; both were appalling at the subject, and yet between them could cast some competent spells. The Professor, fortunately, was an undeniably cheerful Witch; Professor Main, an American Witch who had flown to England following her education, taught her lessons with a smile and a bit of American optimism, something definitely necessary when teaching the Slytherin First Years.

Professor Main had never taken to students so quickly as she had taken to Albus and Scorpius; there was some innocent charm to the well-mannered way that Scorpius spoke, a delight in the caution that Albus put before his every action. Unable to detect any malicious intent in either of them, Professor Main had spoiled them whenever possible. Teaching them their Charms as quickly as possible, Main took great pleasure in helping them practice whenever they struggled. Truthfully, the two boys had no aptitude for Charms, natural or otherwise, and it was a miracle in disguise that Professor Main was so fond of them; their attempts at Wingardium Leviosa had been disturbing, to say the least, but still they persevered. Indeed, it was at this Charm that the two of them were working currently, sat opposite one another at a small bench. Taking turns to prod their wand at the feather lying between them, the two of them were becoming increasingly incensed towards the poor object, as if their fault lay with it.

"Al, can't you just use your Potter-power to make it float? I am getting dreadfully bored."

"Can't you just bribe it, Malfoy?"

The two of them laughed, comfortable making such remarks with one another; had any other student attempted something similar, heads might have rolled. Bickering, however, seemed to be the norm for the two of them; had Scorpius made any other comment, it would have been laughed off, a standard not offered to other students. Albus, in a fit of pique, decided that he might as well try his 'Potter-power', as Scorpius had so lovingly dubbed it, and rose to his feet for the occasion. Recalling a programme his father had told him about, Albus lifted his wand and pointed it imperiously at the little feather, who looked as appropriately terrified as is possible for a feather to look.

"By the power of Greyskull," he paused, laughing sheepishly, "Potter. By the power of Potter! Wingardium Leviosa!"

Swishing and flicking his wand with as much gusto as any determined Wizard could muster, Albus managed to jerk the feather about six inches from the table before it drifted pitifully back onto the wooden surface. Scorpius cracked up, his usually fine features collapsing into a twisted giggle. Cheeks flushing red on both sides of the table, both young boys creased into laughter as they realised that the rest of the class was now staring at them. Hiding a titter behind her hand, Professor Main walked towards the table and smiled at the two boys.

"Nice try, Albus. Well done. Scorpius, why don't you have a go and see how well you can do?"

Still flushed red from his laughing fit, Scorpius nodded sheepishly at the teacher and obediently got to his feet. Placing one hand on the table for support as he recovered from his laughing fit, Scorpius cautiously brandished his wand at the feather. Muttering the incantation with a hint of nerves, he flicked his wrist upwards and gaped slightly as the feather reacted with utter obedience. Waving his wrist about like a conductor, Scorpius laughed at the sight of the feather moving with his wand. Professor Main looked between the two boys with wry amusement, before lowering her wand quickly. It was always good to boost somebody's confidence, was it not? As the feather returned to the table, Albus was on his feet and Charming it himself; all across the classroom students were fervently moving their feathers with confidence. Somehow, one miracle seemed to have sparked another ten. As the room was overcome with feathers, Professor Main couldn't help but chuckle to herself, watching her students with wry amusement. It was evident that the students had needed only a push in the right direction, for the flock of children were now attempting to hit each other with the feathers, though their attempts were in vain; they had yet to master the fine elegance of hand gestures, and their clumsy movements only resulted in a loss of control. Clapping her hands together as she returned to the front of her classroom, there was a ring of clapping; Professor Main had taken the time to Charm her classroom into echoing any sound she needed to be audible, as she had discovered that nothing brought children to attention better than noise. Sometimes, Professor Main had reasoned, Sonorus simply didn't cut it. Beaming at her class, she nodded her head at the chaos.

"Well done, class. And my goodness, we're twenty minutes into your lunch! Go on, get out."

The class piled out, delighted, and hurried towards the Great Hall, oblivious to the hurried footsteps of Molly and Liam, a floor above them. Indeed, the only indication that anything out of the ordinary was happening was the smug chuckle of Louis Weasley as he sauntered down the stairs, whistling to himself as he waited to hear the shouts of an angered Prefect. Shouts he would, sadly, never get to hear.

It seemed as if the effects of Felix Felicis were unnecessary for Liam and Molly, who had somehow managed to skid out of the bathroom and down the corridor without encountering the Prefect. Coming to a halt at the top of a moving flight of stairs, the two students turned to grin at one another with pleased breathlessness. It was as if they could have survived anything, at that moment, though fate was to tangle their threads in worse ways than was expected. Apparently Henrietta had managed to mess up spectacularly once again, for the heavy footsteps of a Prefect were approaching rapidly; in the absence of an approaching staircase, there was nothing for them to do but panic. As Flora Davies, the Ravenclaw Prefect, stormed towards them with arms across her chest, Liam looked to Molly with a martyred grin.

"I'm Slytherin. I'll take the blame. Nobody'd ever believe you, anyway. You're a Weasley."

Glowering and tutting, Molly shook her head. A definite sign of refusal, to say the least. Flora, standing at almost six foot, towered above the two Third Years with ease, though neither cowered. There was little point in attempting to lie about things, from the look on the Prefect's face it was all too clear that things had been explained already. Giggling awkwardly, Molly grinned impishly at the girl stood over her, ducking her head in case she was about to be slapped.

"Molly Weasley, William Rosier. Not only should you both be in the Great Hall, but if either of you attempt to tell me you were using the bathroom, then you," she took a breath, glaring at Liam with fury, "William Rosier, will get into yet more trouble for using a girl's bathroom. Now, what do you have to say?"

Caught out, both students froze like rabbits in a headlight, peering up at the fierce face of Flora Davies without attempting to hide their panic. Slowly, a plan began to form in Molly's mind and she hoped only that Liam would be able to follow her; chewing her lip in an attempt at innocent guilt, Molly looked at the floor before glancing up at Flora.

"Well, you see, Flora, Liam wasn't in the girl's bathroom. I was. While I sorted myself out to go the Great Hall. He was keeping an eye on me, we were practising Cheering Charms, only mine went a bit wrong and I was giddy as heck. I felt a bit woozy, so--"

"So I took her up to the bathroom, Flora. Since it's on the way to the Hall from the Charms room, I thought it would be a good idea to have her splash her face with cold water before she went."

The awkward pause that followed this was punctuated by giggles coming from a nervous Molly; this was all the proof that Flora needed. Evidently the ludicrous chuckles of Molly Weasley were enough to presume that she really had messed up a Cheering Charm, and she flicked her hands limply towards them as the stairs floated into sight.

"Both of you, get to the Great Hall. I'll let you off, just this once."


End file.
